Only 22% of Groundwater in China’s Northern Plains Qualifies as Drinking Water

The issue of polluted groundwater in China has once again bubbled to the surface. Such rising concern follows in the wake of a report claiming that only 22% of underground water in the densely populated North China Plain qualifies as drinking water. In February, claims washed over social media sites that tainted water from paper mills and chemical works in Weifang, Shandong province, was being pumped underground, thus polluting groundwater sources…Full-text article: China Daily June 2013

Key Points

On average, groundwater represents 17.4% of China’s total water consumption. This groundwater consumption percentage is 69.5% in the North China Plain, which includes the provinces of Henan, Shanxi, Hebei and Shandong, plus the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin

Approximately 40% of China’s groundwater qualifies as drinking water, which is nearly double that of the level found in the North China Plains